


Alec Hardy: Whovian in Disguise

by tennants_and_titans



Series: Broadchurch Mini Fics [2]
Category: Broadchurch, Doctor Who (2005)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2015-04-09
Packaged: 2018-03-22 02:49:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3711997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tennants_and_titans/pseuds/tennants_and_titans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one in Broadchurch knew it, but former DI Alec Hardy had somewhat of an obsession.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alec Hardy: Whovian in Disguise

**Author's Note:**

> Includes some spoilers for Doctor Who and Broadchurch series 2

He didn't know why, but for some reason, Alec Hardy had fallen in to the black hole of Netflix. Maybe it was because there was not much he could do while he wasn't at Joe Miller’s trial, or digging up shit on the Sandbrook case, or maybe because he just needed an escape from all the stress consuming his life, covering his brain in a hardened shell and deflecting all interactions with the world outside his duties as a former police officer. In the past several weeks, Alec had managed to watch all three seasons of Sherlock (not that that’s very impressive), all ten seasons of Friends, and all 8 seasons of House MD. He enjoyed giggling away at American accents and such just as much as he enjoyed staring off in to the horizon and forgetting to shave, and this seemed to be a much better use of his time. Most recently, he had picked up a bizarre science fiction drama from his “suggestions for you” page. He wasn't quite sure why it was there. But portions of it were written by the same guy who wrote Sherlock, so he thought he’d give it a try. 

Several days and sleepless nights later, he found himself shouting at the television as Rory Williams (who shared a surprising resemblance with the local reverend) popped open his hand at his knuckles and shot his wife. Yes, Alec Hardy was watching Doctor Who. By the time he was through the first five seasons, it had slowly begun to consume his life, but no one knew it. From the outside, he seemed just as closed off and cynical as usual, perhaps sometimes even more so. Alec felt the need to conceal his new passion from his peers, although it pained him greatly to not frequently gripe to Ellie about the intense emotions he was beginning to feel for fictional characters. She would undoubtedly ridicule him to no end, just as he would have if things were the other way around, so he went to his greatest efforts to keep it from her. Alec found that the best way to do this was to let Ellie get over-absorbed in the Sandbrook case. Despite any remarks he made out loud, he knew Ellie was a great detective and would need a very effective distraction to keep her off his tail. This proved to work well at first. During breaks in Joe’s trial, while Ellie would go off searching for clues to the case through every medium she could have access to, Alec would sneak off in to the bathroom with the shabby iPhone 4 he kept hidden from Ellie (so she wouldn't suspect anything) and marathon episodes. On the way to Sandbrook once, he had Ellie stop off at a shopping center so he could “stretch his legs.” While Ellie waited in the car fiercely studying maps, Alec “stretched his legs” to a collector’s item store where he purchased three sonic screwdrivers and several novelizations, safely concealing the products beneath his suit when he made his way back in to the car. Ellie was so caught up in her maps and her notes, she didn't even notice the oddly shaped bulge in his left breast pocket. When Ellie was sleeping next to him in the hotel, he lay awake reading, using a sonic screwdriver flashlight to aid his sight. Alec had become the ultimate geek, and not even his only friend knew about it. But, he sensed she would find him out eventually, and sure enough, not long after his heart surgery, he was caught dead in the act. 

Tess was watching him for the day. She had told Ellie to go home, be with Tom and relieve some stress. Alec, still high off pain killers, didn't even acknowledge that Ellie had no reason to do what Tess asked. And being that she had no reason to, of course she didn't. But Alec was practically a 5 year old child at the time. His sense of judgment was masked by the chemicals dulling his pain receptors. When he was given full access to Tess’ lap top, he couldn’t resist the urge to fuel the fire inside him. In just the past week, he had finished season 6 and at least half of season 7, and he was ready to finish up the last of what was available on Netflix, and possibly go back to re-watch episodes from the past series. Curled up on the couch, snuggled in to blankets, and with Tess yapping away on the phone outside, Alec was able to reach the 50th anniversary episode before he heard the familiar screech of Ellie Miller’s mockery.

"Bloody Hell, is that you?"

Alec crooked his neck to see Ellie peering over his shoulder, making a face as if she’d just seen him naked. 

"No. It’s just a guy who looks like me." he grumbled, popping one ear bud out of his ear. 

"Striking resemblance there. You've got the same dimples"

Alec felt his cheek with the hand that wasn't tucked under his blankets, He has always been self-conscious about his dimples. 

"What are you watching? It looks utterly ridiculous." Ellie queried. 

Alec shrugged. ” Doctor Who, I think it’s called. I was bored.” 

He tried his best not to sound as if he was familiar with, let alone enjoying, the sheer nonsense occurring before his and Ellie’s eyes. 

Ellie let out a little giggle. “So you’re one of them now.” she said with a little smirk on her face.

Alec just stared up at her, not quite understanding what she meant by “one of them.” Of course, Ellie read this from his face right away.

"One of Tom’s mates was like this." she stated. "Completely invested in a silly little piece of fiction to escape all the shit they deal with in the real world."  
Hardy hid his face again. 

Alec wanted to defend his passion. He wanted to tell her it wasn't silly, that it was brilliant, but instead, his desire for Ellie's approval got the best of him.

“I don’t know what you mean, this is the first I’ve seen of this.” He said, maintaining the straightest face he possibly could.

"Oh don’t be a bullshitter." Ellie snapped. 

She reached in to her coat pocket and pulled out a long, thin, grey and blue probe. She tossed it at Alec so it landed perfectly on his lap, parallel to the identical tool that rested in the man on the screen’s hand. "I found it on the floor next to your side of the bed in Sandbrook." 

Alec fondled the sonic screwdriver in his free hand for a while. 

“How long have you known?” he asked weakly.

"Weeks." she chuckled a little to herself, but loud enough for Hardy to hear. 

"Get some rest dork" she snorted, before she shuffled past him with a sly smile on her face.

"Dork" Alec thought.  
He quite liked the word.


End file.
